Grid Effect

This is our second installment of introducing upcoming Fall series’ from varying television networks. You can read our overview of HBO here, and that might seem upbeat compared to what we’re about to cover, because today we are looking at CBS and considering the only series we watch/have watched on that network over the past five years is Survivor, I wouldn’t expect much positivity out of this run down. I feel like it’s simply a generational gap here, CBS is the number one network amongst senior citizens, of which we are not. Again, I am not privy to any screenings of these series, so this is all superficial knee-jerk reactions.

The Big Bang Theory: Mondays 8:30pm ET
Synopsis: An attractive blond moves in next door to a couple standard beta male geeks. High jinks ensues.
Impressions: This might score some decent ratings by association with CBS, but if I bother to tune into a single episode I would wake up feeling dirty the following day. Expect to see the two guys falling over a lot and running into things while said blond giggles at their social/physical clumsiness.

Cane : Tuesdays, 10pm ET
Synopsis: A Latin-American family deals with the trials and tribulations of sugar cane and rum empire. Certainly an unusual premise for your typical dramatic CBS series. In other words, there’s no forensics or lawyers saying things like, “If you didn’t kill her then why is her blood on your hands?”
Impressions: I like the concept here, but the very fact it’s on CBS has me skeptical. I suppose that is my innate bias exposing itself but I feel it is justified.

Kid Nation : Wednesdays, 8pm ET
Synopsis: A gaggle of forty kids set out to build a society that rivals the one created by adults, expect lollipops and forts.
Impressions: Why this is a primetime series and not on Saturday mornings I am not sure. Never the less, I can respect the business tactic from CBS: Taking a risk (because they can afford at least one) to corner the twelve and under market with the 8pm time slot because the average modern parent has neither the time, energy nor patience to challenge their kid and force them to go to bed. Really, I appreciate this cold, hard calculated move from America’s number one network. With that said, unless I’m with my nieces I’ll probably never watch it.

Moonlight: Fridays, 9pm ET
Synopsis: This is much more up CBS’s allie. In short, a private investigator who solves crimes, but with a twist. What’s the twist? The lead is, I kid you not, a vampire who spends his days fending off less noble undead counterparts and supressing his feelings for a non-vampire.
Impressions: Well, at least they’re trying. Though I’m not terribly surprised this landed a Friday time slot; nor is it surprising this is following Ghost Whisperer. For one, the series gets solid ratings for a Friday series, two, they both deal with the supernatural. But yeah, I’m pretty bearish on what’s being offered here.

Viva Laughlin: Sundays, 8pm ET
Synopsis: A British import that is part musical tells the tale of a professional wrestler who stirves to open his own casino one day in a small Nevada city. Hugh Jackman has a recurring role and executively produces the series.
Impressions: Definitely off the beaten path and its eccentric enough that I just might give it a shot. Musicals always strike me as exceedingly pretentious but if the breaks into song and dance are minimalized, they could be tolerable. I’ll give this a 5/1 shot to be my Friday Night Lights of 2007, at least in terms of series I wasn’t expecting to enjoy but was blown away with what was presented.

All in all, considering the network, the new lineup is, overall, fairly encouraging. Back with more tomorrow.